I didn't look closely enough last time I saw one for real: perhaps they're making an honest model of the rebuilt/replica Type Cs Audi are showing today? In contrast, the CMC Mercedes W125 has the correct pre-war Continentals, but the (now very toy-like looking) CMC Auto Union D seems, from the tread patterns, to come with latter-day historic racing Dunlops branded as Continentals!

With the CMC W-125, W-196, Transporter, and the AU D-Type in my collection, I have not been keeping up with the new releases from CMC. As others have noted, the CMC models are not perfect, but are reasonable representations of these wonderful cars.

The C-Type is one that I must have. Immediately. One of my all time favorite racing cars.

But with Dunlop tires? I just looked at the pics on the CMC website of this new model and it looks stunning in the photos.

Dunlop tires??????? This makes no sense to me. Herr Dietrich would not be amused.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Doug Nye
[B]Long-awaited German scale GP car model arrived this a.m. At first sight quite wonderful but for one feature. Bloody thing's fitted with Dunlop tyres! What's German for "unbelievable"?

check out the photo of the last c&g typ c as posted by brun a while back....tyres look familiar??...i'm sure that the cmc guys are wonderful model makers but perhaps not historians....a million measurements and a like number of photos of any of the c&g cars shipped to china [where i think the models are made] will result in "cmc's newest most detailed car EVER!"....anyway,i got mine and am quite happy!

I only saw the model briefly and a agree with Classic and Sportscar that the Steeringwheel is suspect too:
It is way to small..
Why did they do that?????
Because...
The rest of the model is great!!
So now they only have to add or change
5 parts:
4 tyres
one steering wheel
all where easy to detach and change...
on the real Auto Union!!
a matter of a few seconds..
not a minute work
let's see how long it takes for CMC to correct of that!
Paul Hooft

And BTW: Did they always use Continental tyres? Are you sure? Realy? I'm not! For example Tripolis, I'm not sure they used Continental tyres all seasons.

I am almost sure that if they where not on Continental Tyres Herr A. H. and some others of his Nazi Regime would have got a Heart attack!
So putting on Dunlops back then...
Would have changed the History of the World..
Paul

I saw today Exoto have released pictures and text of the W196 models they will be producing in 2004, bare frames and bodied cars in Aluminum.

One of the points I noted was they refered to the tyres as Continental/Dunlop so maybe there was Dunlops used at one time maybe one race!?! or maybe all the historians at CMC and Exoto are just plane wrong.

Even - EVEN - if Auto Union ever raced in period on Dunlop tyres (which is sshort of researching it is omething I seriously - SERIOUSLY - doubt) rather than Continental it seems absolutely nuts to me for the model maker to market their otherwise highly acceptable product with such untypical tyres.

In fact - having paid my money - the more I think about this the hotter under the collar I become...I just thought it was odd at first - now I feel a sense of humour failure coming on...

Posted by Martin Roessler A friend of mine said that Rosemeyer and Delius tested Dunlop tires in South-Africa to let the world know how weak they were compared to the german Continental....

This is what Elly Beinhorn-Rosemeyer says in her book Mein Mann der Rennfahrer. But it was during a practise session only and not in the race.. Apparently they didn't last nearly as long as the Contis.

Of course in a demonstration Rosemeyer could have given some extra throttle every now and then to wear the Dunlops out faster than normally

I nearly passed on my C Type A-U because the steering wheel looked under-sized. However, careful examination of the books I have to hand suggests that it is more a case of it being set a little too low on the model, rather than being seriously out of scale. The original car has a very large cockpit, which makes the wheel look odd - especially wrt the contemporary Mercedes W125. The dog-s**t brown colour of the CMC model's wheel rim doesn't help either (B & W photos and my reading suggests the covering was suede leather - does anybody have a steer on the correct shade?)

Doug: have you clocked the other annoying fault - the front tyres have been incorrectly moulded, resulting in a U, rather than Z pattern in those Dunlop tread blocks. And, to add further fuel to your ire, the Dunlop-treaded tyres of CMC's D-type Auto Union are far better modelled... but have Continental side-wall lettering, for gawd's sake!

I should add that the new C-Type is otherwise a fantastic model, the sort of thing I never dreamed I'd see on general sale. Hey CMC, How about a Vanwall next, or P25 BRM? With the correct tyres, of course...

Next model:
Vanwall:
ok with me..
Delage 1 1/2 litre
or Miller FWD or RWD??
Love that!!
But... they must be very brave...
I think they make a 1914 GP Mercedes or the SSKL!
oh, no!! not on those Dunlops again!!!
and I am not counting all those Auto Union... versions... that come next
I already know that...
Paul

Next CMC Auto Union is 1938 Bergwagen. It should be available soon.
Let's hope that they didn't simply add another pair of wheels and Dunlop tires at the rear of the C-Type. Even worse: they may stick together the front of the D and the rear of the C. Double Dunlops, of course!

The pictures and text are nowhere on the Exoto site but in the quarterly "Exoto Tifosi" catalogue they send out.I will try to scan some pictures and email them to you as I cannot (don't know how) to put them up on the web.Ian

Originally posted by Doug Nye In fact - having paid my money - the more I think about this the hotter under the collar I become...I just thought it was odd at first - now I feel a sense of humour failure coming on...

DCN

I know the feeling, Doug. The ground clearance of my D-type increases every time I look at it. and

Which I find worse than the modern Dunlop tyres with Continental markings.

Oldtimer: the rear ride height of the CMC D-Type A-U is easily reset by removing the little helper spring that sits between the de Dion tube and the transmission. This is, of course, a non-authentic part and the 'suspension' on the models is not a whole lot more effective than the 'steering', in any event!

Originally posted by Philip Whiteman Oldtimer: the rear ride height of the CMC D-Type A-U is easily reset by removing the little helper spring that sits between the de Dion tube and the transmission. This is, of course, a non-authentic part and the 'suspension' on the models is not a whole lot more effective than the 'steering', in any event!

Yes the cars were that dark, and yes the helmet looks a bit out of place. But there is another thing that you should note: the tire diameter is much smaller than the original, and the car sits much lower than in 1954.
Replica yes, complete accuracy no, because correct tire (and often wheel) availability is a real problem when trying to replicate a vehicle properly. Ask any Porsche 935 owner about getting those Goodyear, Pirelli or Dunlop 19" X 15" rear tires... Virtually all the cars had to be converted to 16" or 18" rears and lost this great look that they had with the big 19" tires.

Originally posted by Philip Whiteman Oldtimer: the rear ride height of the CMC D-Type A-U is easily reset by removing the little helper spring that sits between the de Dion tube and the transmission. This is, of course, a non-authentic part and the 'suspension' on the models is not a whole lot more effective than the 'steering', in any event!

I did that within 24 hours of possession, but it still looks too high, and taking T54's point, too bulky when compared to the CMC W154 model. :

Or 17" if I recall. After all, the W154 were on 19-inchers then, and so were the Auto-Unions. The model looks like it has 15" wheels. The Englebert or Pirelli tires also were a LOT taller than the Dunlop "dog-bone" pattern tires used on the replica cars of today. Just compare this picture below of a Cooper-Climax fitted with 16" wheels and Dunlop "dog-bone" tires to the pic of the Lancia D50 replica. Makes you belive that the D50 is now running on 15", which would explain all the lost ground clearance...!